The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-03-09

meaning and ramincations. When does the
Bible say is the best time to repent' NOW
When does the Bible say that God will for
give9 Now. When does God say is the only
safe time to attend to the matters of the soul'
Now. But that word "Now" melts away as
easily as snowflake in the evening rain.
Where is the ';now" of the dead Of last year
the ''now" of the dead of last month: the
"now" of the deal of last week? the now OF
the dead of yesterdaya Time plcked IL
I'D in its beak and flew away with it. swami
meridian and other naturalists tell us there
are insects which within the space of one
minute are born. fulfill their mission. cele-
brate their nuptisls, and die; but this won
derful "now," is more short lived than they.
1t is flash, stroke, a glance: Its cradle IS
its grave. If men catch it at all, it is
Th Gue lick Snsh Mens ea@se ot heT did hnoe no
understand the momentum and the ponderos-
ity of that one word All the strategic pow
ers of hell are exerted in trying to subtract
from the energy and emphasis of that word
They say it is only word OF three letters
-s'to.morrow." They say: "Throw away
that small word and take this other grand
one;" and so men say: "Give us tomorrow
and take away from us now" and between
those two words is the Appian Way OF death,
and a great multitude throng that road,
jostling and elbowing each other, Fastening
on swifter and swifter to die. For how much
would YOU walk the edge of the roof of your
house? For how much would you come out on
the most dangerous peak of the Matterhorn
and wave your'cap? You say: mo money
could induce me to do it. And vet you stand
to-day with one foot on crumbling moment
and the other foot lifted, not knowing where
you will put it down, while the distance be-
tween you and the bottom Of the depth be-
>o%
metic calculate, no wing Of lightning cleave.
And yet the Bible tells us that unless
man has q new heart be cannot get into
heaven; and some of you are not seeking for
that new heart In Mexico, sometimes the
ground suddenly opens, and man standing
'lear the gap can see down an appalling dis
tance But y! IL to-day, at your feet, there
should open the chasms of the lost world, how
you would fling yourself back and hold the
nowm
greet you to-day, my brother, in the very
gate Of eternity. Some Of us may live a
longer and some of us may live shorter
time: but, at the longest, life is so short that
I feel We all stand OH the door-sill of the great
future. The next step-all the angels of God
cannot undo the consequences. Will your exit
The righteous go up. The Saviour helps
them. Ministering spirits meet them. The
doors of Paradise open to receive them. Upl
up! upl Oh, what grand thing it is to die
with strong faith in God, like that which
Stonewall Jackson had, when, in his expiring
moments, he said: "Let us cross over the
river, and lie down under the shade" But
to leave this world unpreparedly is
falling-falling from God, falling from
heaven-swiftly falling, wildly falling,
for ever falling. So it was with one who had
been eminent for his intelligence, but who had
omitted all preparation for the future world,
and had come down to his last hour. He said
to his wife, seated by the bedside: 30, don't
talk to ab9gt pain it is ii the Rs %nd yeHpn o
my life, I never lived one minute for
heaven. It is awfully dark here" he whiS
pered. "It is awfully dark. seem to stand
on the slippery edge Of great gulf. I shall
fall! I am fallingm And with shrek, as
when a man tumbles over precipice, he ex-
pired. Wise for this world, about all the mat
ters of his immortal soul he was, his life long,
playing the fool
will take the case of some one In the
building to-day and ask you what you think
about that case. He has been all his life amid
Bibles and churches, so that he knows his
duty. Christ has offered to do all for that
man that Divine Savior can offer to do for
a dying soul. Heaven has been offered
him, yea, been pushed upon him, and yet he
has not accepted it, and to-day he sits de-
away from him. What do you say of that
onei "Hallucinated," says one: "Monoma-
niacal," says another; "Playing the fool, ," says
another Oh, how many there are taking
lust that positionl There is such thing as
pyromania, an insanity which disposes one 70
destroy buildings by fire; but who would nave
thought that there was a pyromanla OF tne
immortal nature, and that any one could pe
so struck through with that insanity as 70
have desire and disposition to consume inc
soul?
Awake, man! awake, womanl from the
phantasia, real or affected. Take Christ.
Escape for eternity. Just see what has been
done for you. Lift the thorny cap from the
brow of Jesus, and see the price that was PAID
for your liberation. Look at the side, ana
see where the spear wentin and moved Tound
rushing forth in awful sacrifice, for
your sins. o, wrap those bare and mutilated
feet of the dying Lord in your womanly lap,
for they were torn in hard tramp for your
soul! o, for tears to weep over this lacera-
ton Of Christ! @ for broken heart ia11,,so to
strong enough to throw this whole audience
down at the feet of cruciied and risen
Jesus! We must repent. We must
believe. We must be saved. I cannot con-
sent 10 have you lose your souls. Come with
me, and as in the summer time we go down
to the beach and bathe in the waters, so to-
day let us join hands and wade down into the
summery sea of Gods forgiveness Roll
over us, tides of everlasting love- roll over
us! Dear Lord, We knock at the door of
mercy, not as the demented knock, not
knowing what they want; but knocking at the
door of mercy, because we want to come in,
while others run their meaningless hands up
and down the panels, and scrabble at the gate,
in the presence of God, and men, and angels,
and devils, playing the fool.